Old Summer Palace

Old Summer Palace Review

Once a grand collection of palaces, this complex was the emperor's summer retreat from the 15th century to 1860, when it was looted and blown up by British and French soldiers. The Western-style buildings—patterned after Versailles in France—were added during the Qing Dynasty and designed by Jesuits. Beijing has chosen to preserve the vast ruin as a "monument to China's national humiliation," though the patriotic slogans that were once scrawled on the rubble have now been cleaned off. The palace is made up of three idyllic parks: Yuanmingyuan (Garden of Perfection and Light) in the west, Wanchunyuan (Garden of 10,000 Springs) in the south, and Changchunyuan (Garden of Everlasting Spring), where the European ruins of marble palaces can be found, in the east.

Highlights

Lose yourself in the Labyrinth. This engraved concrete wall maze, known as Huanghuazhen (Yellow Flower), twists and turns around a European-style pavilion. Recently restored and located just to the left of the west gate of Changchunyuan, it was once the site of lantern parties during mid-autumn festivals. Palace maids would race each other to the pavilion carrying lotus lanterns.

Scramble over the stones of Changchunyuan, which are like a surreal graveyard to European architecture. The ruins of ornately carved columns, squat lion statues, and crumbling stone blocks lie like fallen dominoes. The park costs an extra Y15 to enter, but it's well worth it.

Take a boat out on Fuhai Lake. Paddle your way around this charming lake, thick with pink lilies, the occasional sunken fountain, island pavilions, and stone-arched bridges.

Tips & Trivia

If you want to save money, take subway Line 13 to Wudaokou and then catch a cab to Yuanmingyuan. When Line 4 opens, it will have a stop at the Old Summer Palace.

The park and ruins take on a ghostly beauty if you come after a fresh snowfall. There's also skating on the lake when it's frozen over.

More than 90% of the original structures were Chinese-style wooden building, but only the European-style stone architecture survived the fires set by British and French troops in 1860.

Many of the priceless relics looted from Yuanmingyuan are still on display in European museums, and China's efforts to recover them have been mostly unsuccessful.

It's a long trek to the European ruins from the main gate. Electric carts buzz around the park; hop on one heading to Changchunyuan if you feel tired. Tickets are Y5.

The Old Summer Palace is about the same size as New York City's Central Park.